


Precious Metal

by Half



Category: Wynonna Earp (TV)
Genre: F/F, also because i wrote it so, it's an au because there's some different kinds of supernatural happenings around, odds are it's an au
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2018-05-23
Updated: 2018-09-09
Packaged: 2019-05-13 01:20:00
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 13
Words: 18,886
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/14739401
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Half/pseuds/Half
Summary: The worst storm in recent memory brings the Earp sisters to an amnesiac stranger left on the side of the road. Waverly, determined to help, tries to keep her away from the truth about Purgatory- a truth that this woman cannot seem to escape.





	1. of storms and beginnings

Waverly Earp swears the rain hasn’t stopped in days.

It’s a strange feeling, as she and her sister drive through the back roads of Purgatory, hoping to avoid any floods.

They’re used to snowstorms.

This?

This is something else.

“I hate coming out here,” Waverly mumbles, looking out at the empty flats.

“Hey, maybe the salt is absorbing some of the water, you never know,” Wynonna jokes.

“I doubt it.” Waverly bites her lip as thunder cracks, loud enough to shake her bones. “There’s just a weird vibe in this place.”

“It’s Purgatory. It’s the Ghost River Triangle. The whole thing is a weird vibe.”

“Maybe… But I- _Shit!_ ”

She slams on the brakes of her Jeep, and Wynonna grabs the dashboard to stop herself from sliding forward.

“What the hell is your problem?”

“Don’t you see it?”

“See what?”

“There’s someone out there. Lying on the side of the road.”

Wynonna tenses, her hand going to the gun on her hip. “It might be a trap, Waverly. We need to get back before the moon-”

“Wynonna, an innocent person could be hurt, and you’re just going to leave them out here?”

She sighs. “Fine. But don’t-”

Waverly is already out of the car, rain jacket useless in the raging wind. She hurries over and crouches down, her fingers going to the throat of the woman lying in the mud.

She has a pulse, but she seems to be unconscious. Short red hair, a soaked flannel shirt, dark blue jeans, and worn boots.

“Hey,” Waverly says, loudly to compensate for the storm, shaking the woman’s shoulder. “Hey, are you okay?”

“I think she’s out, baby girl,” Wynonna grumbles, appearing next to Waverly, already drenched. “You might as well just put her in the backseat and take her home. We’ll call the sheriff in the morning.”

“But what if she’s really hurt?”

“No ambulance is getting all the way out here in this mess. If Gus says she needs something now, we’ll call as soon as we get back, but right now let’s prioritize getting her out of the rain.”

 

+++++

 

“Her name is Nicole.”

Waverly glances at Wynonna. “What?”

“I checked her pockets. Grabbed her wallet.”

_“Wynonna!”_

“What? It could have something important.” Wynonna sticks her tongue out at her sister and continues. “Whoever she is, she travels light. No driver’s license, no business card, no credit card… Just a stick of gum and five U.S. dollars.”

“Then how do you know her name?” Waverly asks, allowing exasperation to seep in.

Wynonna flips the wallet over, revealing a stamp pressed into the leather.

**PROPERTY OF: NICOLE HAUGHT**

“Hot? Or Howt?”

“No idea. Guess you’ll have to ask her that when she wakes up.”

Waverly glances in the rear-view mirror, at the woman passed out in her backseat. “I guess I will.”

 

+++++

 

“This is a dangerous place to bring strays,” Gus McCready says into her coffee mug, studying the unconscious redhead through narrowed eyes.

“I wanted to leave her on the side of the road, but _somebody_ got all heroic.”

Gus sighs and rolls her eyes at Wynonna. “That’s not where I was going with that, girl.”

“Oh.”

Waverly elbows Wynonna in the side. “Told you.”

“At least we know she’s not a Revenant,” Wynonna says, poking Nicole’s leg with her gun. “Peacemaker doesn’t burn her, and we have her on the Homestead.”

“Small miracles. It would be just like the two of you to walk a demon straight into our home.”

Wynonna frowns at her aunt. “You get grumpy when you drink coffee.”

Gus snorts. “I get grumpy when you bring strangers into our lives. I didn’t like John Henry or Xavier, either.”

“And now you do, so all’s well, right?”

She just snorts again and turns to walk back into the kitchen.

Before she does, they hear a faint whimper, and Nicole shifts on the mattress. Her eyes flutter open, unfocused until they clear on the ceiling above her.

“Where…” she mumbles.

“You’re someplace safe,” Waverly says, kicking Wynonna out of her way as she steps up to the bed. “You probably don’t recognize it, because… well… you’ve never been here before.” She laughs awkwardly, her hands twisting in front of her waist.

Nicole blinks up at her and doesn’t laugh. “Where… was I?”

“My sister and I found you on the side of the road. Are you feeling okay? We didn’t want to call a doctor until the storm died down a bit.”

“I-I… think I’m fine.” Nicole looks around, confusion plain on her face. “I…” Her gaze lands back on Waverly. “Have we… met before?”

“Oh, no. We just didn’t want to leave you out there.”

“So I don’t know who you are?”

Waverly smiles. “Nope!”

“Oh. Okay.” Nicole’s brow furrows, and she brings a hand up in front of her face, brushing her thumb over a streak of dirt. “Do…” She closes her eyes and shakes her head, clearing her throat before opening her eyes again, the confusion there now even deeper. “Do you know… who _I_ am?”

Waverly looks over her shoulder at Wynonna and Gus, who both have raised eyebrows. When she turns back to Nicole, she asks, “What do you mean? What do you remember?”

Nicole swallows, her hands shaking. “Nothing. I don’t remember anything.”


	2. of words and coffee

“I have a towel and some clothes,” Waverly says, setting the items on the foot of the bed. “You’re about my sister’s size, but sometime we’ll have to find you some clothes that are a better fit. She’s, uhm… unique.”

“Thank you,” Nicole says, voice dull, still staring up at the ceiling.

“The sheriff’s on his way here. He wants to talk to you. He said you shouldn’t shower until after he got here, because he wants to take the clothes you’re wearing as evidence.”

Nicole frowns at her. “Evidence of what?”

Waverly gives her a bright smile. “There might be something on them that will help us figure out who you are.” She hands Nicole the wallet that Wynonna took earlier. “We do think we know your name, at least.”

“Nicole,” she murmurs. “Hot?”

“That’s what I thought. Wynonna thought it was Howt.”

“Might as well go with Hot.” She brushes her thumb across the name. “Nicole Haught. It doesn’t mean anything to me.”

“Maybe it will, once you’ve rested.”

Nicole nods and sits up, groaning softly. “Do you have any idea what happened to me? It doesn’t feel like I broke anything.”

“Gus didn’t notice anything like that, either.” Waverly sits next to her. “I thought maybe you were hit by lightning, but your heartbeat seems normal, and it doesn’t look like you have any burns.”

“Sounds like I’m lucky you and your sister happened by.”

Waverly laughs and gently smacks her fist against Nicole’s knee. “No, you’re lucky _I_ happened by. Wynonna would’ve left you there.”

“I’m not sure I buy that.”

“Well, buy it, pal.”

They hear a car door slam shut outside, and Waverly stands, holding her hand out to help Nicole to her feet.

“Come on. Sheriff Nedley acts like a hardass, but he’s a sweetheart not that far down under that grumpy shell. You’ll be fine.”

Nicole takes her hand and allows her to pull her up. “I trust you.”

Waverly raises an eyebrow. “You do?”

Nicole shrugs, a shy grin on her face. “It’s not like I know any better.”

 

+++++

 

Sheriff Randy Nedley sits across from Nicole, watching her fidget in ripped jeans and a tank top. “Could you tell me what the last thing you remember is?”

“That’s the thing, sir,” Nicole says, drumming her fingers on the arms of her chair. “I have… I can remember facts. How to tie my shoes, the language, types of food. I have vague memories of shapes of teachers telling me how to do math and what gravity is. But I can’t… I can’t think of a single face to put to the factual knowledge I have. I can’t think of any names or places or what anything looks like. I don’t even know my _own_ name. We’re just assuming it’s what’s on the wallet that was in my pocket.”

“Okay.” Nedley tucks his notebook away in his pocket and folds his hands in front of him. “I’m going to take your clothes and have them processed. Check to see if there’s anything that might identify where you came from. With your permission, I’ll also take your fingerprints and a swab of your DNA to run through the databases. If there’s anything at all that’s there to be found about who you are, we’ll find it.”

“And if there isn’t?”

Nedley smiles at her and picks his hat up, setting it back down on his head. “Why don’t we cross that bridge whe- _if_ we get to it, kid?”

“… Alright.”

He hands her his business card. “If you remember anything more specific, just let me know. Okay?”

“I will, sir.”

“If you want to give those fingerprint and DNA samples, swing by the station. The Earps know where it is.” He picks up the bag containing her clothes and steps out onto the porch, bracing against the whipping wind. “ _Hell_ , this is a storm.”

Wynonna, leaning against the house with a bottle of whiskey in her hand, nods. “How was it, driving up here from town?”

“Pain in the ass. There’s a tree down by Johnson’s Creek. I called it in, but nobody’s going to be out moving trees in a storm like this.”

“Any idea when it’s going to calm down?”

Nedley shakes his head. “Weather report said it would stop two days ago.”

Wynonna snorts. “Welcome to Purgatory.”

“Population plus one,” Nedley says, jerking his thumb over his shoulder to point at the door.

“Yeah, how _is_ our amnesiac friend?”

“Confused. She’s putting on a brave face, but she’s shaky, I can tell. She’s scared.”

“A threat?”

Nedley shrugs and pulls his hat down closer to his eyes. “She doesn’t seem to be. And I think that if she _was_ , she wouldn’t remember it. That could be advantageous.”

“Why, Randy Nedley, are you suggesting a _manipulation_?”

“No,” Nedley insists, zipping up his rain jacket. “I’m suggesting you get on her good side _before_ she remembers anything. Just in case.”

 

+++++

 

Waverly steps out onto the porch with two mugs of coffee and a beach towel, sitting in one of the rocking chairs. She sets one cup on the chair next to her, sips her coffee, and waits.

A wolf– black and brown, with pale gold eyes –races out of the rain and up the front steps, and Waverly casually holds the towel up in front of her with one hand as it shakes.

“You’re getting doggy rainwater in your coffee,” she says, taking another sip from her own mug, safely behind the towel.

The wolf’s whole body glows with a pale red light, covered in the same runes that burn on Peacemaker when it fires. The light shifts and morphs and then fades, and Wynonna is standing in front of her.

“You could’ve covered _my_ coffee _too_ , you know,” Wynonna complains, taking the towel from Waverly and rubbing it through her hair. She picks up her mug and sits in the chair next to her sister’s, sniffing the drink suspiciously.

Waverly snorts. “You could’ve dried off like a normal person, too.”

“Where’s the fun in that?”

“Hm. Then maybe you shouldn’t complain when I sacrifice your beverages.”

“Didn’t even put whiskey in it,” Wynonna mutters into her mug.

Waverly rubs the fingers of her free hand together, allowing electrical sparks to generate on her skin. She reaches over and touches Wynonna’s arm, the white energy shocking her.

“ _Ow!_ I still have water on me, you ass!”

Waverly shrugs. “Guess you should’ve dried off.”

Wynonna flicks her hair over her shoulder, excess droplets splattering on Waverly’s face. “Speaking of drying, is our house guest still showering?”

Wiping the water off of her face with a glare, Waverly says, “Yeah. I gave her some more clothes, but she’ll need to get some of her own. She didn’t seem very comfortable in yours.”

“But I have _excellent_ taste.”

“Still isn’t everybody’s.”

Wynonna scoffs. “Nicole doesn’t even have _memories_. How could she have _preferences_?”

Waverly rolls her eyes. “Real nice, Wynonna.” She finishes off her coffee and sets her mug aside. “When do Doc and Alice get home?”

“Tomorrow.”

“Have you mentioned…?” Waverly gestures over her shoulder.

“That we brought home a new friend? No. I thought that conversation would be best handled in person.” Wynonna’s eyes darken. “He won’t be fond of the idea of having a stranger around our daughter. _I’m_ not a fan.”

“We can’t just throw her out, Wynonna. She doesn’t have anywhere to go.”

Wynonna sighs and winces as a heavy gust of wind throws rain at them. “I know. Doesn’t mean I have to like it.”

 

+++++

 

Nicole leans on the bathroom counter, wiping fog off of the mirror. She stares at her reflection, trying to think of even a single memory.

She can’t even remember ever seeing her own reflection before.

Her eyes are brown- solid brown, no flecks of other colors. There’s a scar on her cheek, and she tries to think of an explanation for it, but it’s as cloudy as everything else. Her hair, darker red from the water of the shower, is cut to her shoulders.

The only part of her reflection that she _knows_ is the confusion in the eyes.

“I… I am Nicole Haught,” she whispers.

 

+++++

 

Outside, a roll of thunder booms, loud enough to make the Homestead’s windows quiver.

Then the rain stops.


	3. of foxes and blood

Nicole stretches until her back cracks, looking out the window at the vast area of the Earp land.

“How are you feeling this morning?”

She turns, spotting Gus in the open doorway. “I feel fine. I needed the sleep, but nothing seems physically wrong with me.” She rubs the back of her neck. “Still don’t remember anything, though.”

“You might not,” Gus says, her voice a mixture of sympathy and gruffness. “It’s important to keep trying, but to accept that it might not be reality. You’ll only frustrate yourself otherwise.”

Nicole laughs. “You sound like you have experience.”

“With amnesia? No. But live around here long enough, and you get used to the strange.” Gus sticks her hands in her pockets. “I’m going into town. Any interest in joining me? We can get you clothes that fit you proper.”

“You don’t need to buy-”

“Kid, you don’t have money. I can buy you a few things that make you comfortable. And then, sometime in the future, you can pay me back.”

Nicole hesitates, toying with the bottom of Wynonna’s shirt. “You’re sure?”

“Positive.” Gus points at her, looking serious. “And buy _what you’re comfortable in_. None of this ‘whatever’s cheapest’ bullshit.”

“Y-Yes, ma’am.”

 

+++++

 

Waverly opens the back hatch of her Jeep and pauses, the scent of apple and cinnamon and wet fur flooding her senses. She steps back from her bags and squints around the tall grass in the yard, listening, trying to get a direction for the scent.

She starts to turn towards the house a second too late as she’s tackled in the back by a small dark brown fox. Waverly hits the ground with a soft _‘oof’_ and lets out a grunt of annoyance as the fox starts playfully gnawing at the back of her neck with harmless half-bites.

“Oh, come on,” Waverly grumbles. “What am I, target practice?”

The fox shifts and morphs, and in its place sits a child- a five-year-old girl with hair the same color as the fox’s fur. She giggles and pats Waverly on the back of the head. “Snuck up on ya, Aunt Wave.”

“I knew you were coming,” Waverly says, reaching behind her to grab the girl before rolling, then settling her on top of one of her knees. “Those Cheerios you’re always eating gave you away.”

Alice Earp Holliday pouts. “Didn’t. I’m _sneaky_.”

Waverly snorts. “About as sneaky as your mother.” She stands, still holding Alice, and reaches into the car to grab her bags. “Where’s your dad?”

“Taking a nap. I was s’posed to, too, but I didn’t. Whatcha got?”

“Supplies. Some bullets. Some other stuff.”

Alice frowns at her. “No food? Daddy and I were lookin’ for some.”

“Your grandma went for that. She’ll be back in a bit.”

“Yay!”

Waverly rolls her eyes and walks towards the house, bags under one arm, niece under the other. “Little girls who use their aunts as pouncing practice don’t get dessert after dinner.”

“I’m not a _little girl_ ; I’m a _damn pier._ ”

Waverly pauses on the first step, looking down at Alice. Struggling not to laugh, she says, “Honey. You mean _dhampir_.”

Alice squints up at her. “S’what I said.”

Waverly shakes her head and continues into the house.

“Aunt Wave! S’what I _said_!”

 

+++++

 

Waverly sends Alice to wake her father while she unpacks what she’s bought. She’s holding a new shotgun when the front door opens and Gus walks in, closely followed by Nicole Haught.

Waverly almost drops the gun.

Nicole’s hair has been trimmed, falling to her chin instead of her shoulders, and the result is a light and casual wavy look that suits her a little _too_ well. Gus apparently bought her new clothes, too, because the torn jeans, tank, and sneakers she was in when Waverly last saw her have been replaced with navy blue pants, a navy blue waistcoat, a white button-down with the sleeves rolled up to the elbows, a tan belt, and tan boots.

She’s known since the moment she saw her that Nicole Haught is _attractive_ , but she hadn’t known _how much_ until _right now_.

“What are you staring at?” Nicole asks curiously. She flushes pink and looks down at her clothes. “Did I forget to take a sticker off? Or a tag?”

“U-Uh…” Waverly shakes her head. “No, it’s fine.” _You’re fine._ “I guess I just expected the flannel look, like we found you in.”

“Oh.” Nicole sticks her hands in her pockets and shrugs. “I thought about it, but it just… it didn’t… feel right? It didn’t feel like _me_ , or at least whatever version of me I am now. And your aunt is very generous.”

“Kid, you’ve got enough discomfort going on right now,” Gus says, patting Nicole on the shoulder. “The _least_ I can do is buy you some clothes. Don’t worry about it; I told you that.”

“Yes, ma’am.”

Gus hands her a few bags and shoos her away. “Put these in the wardrobe you’ve been using.”

Waverly puts the shotgun down to help with the groceries when the front door opens and Wynonna sticks her head inside. “Hey. Do you both have a second? The sheriff wants a word with us. Privately.”

“Has to be quick. I bought ice cream for Alice.”

Wynonna rolls her eyes. “You spoil her, Gus.”

“That’s my right.”

 

+++++

 

On the porch, Waverly sees that Nedley is standing on the bottom steps, his arms crossed, his hat pulled down.

It’s his _Serious Sheriff_ look, and everyone present knows that it means something is wrong.

“What’s going on?” Waverly asks.

“I had Jeremy rush through tests on Nicole’s clothing,” Nedley murmurs, keeping his voice down. “We won’t know yet whether she’s in any missing persons databases or anything else, but we did get another result, and you need to hear it. I’m not sure _she_ does, though.”

“Randy,” Gus says, her voice low and concerned. “What is it?”

“There was blood on Nicole’s clothes. We couldn’t see it at the time because of all the mud, but Jeremy was able to isolate it.” He sighs and shifts, he hands moving to rest on his belt. “The thing is, it was compared to the DNA sample Nicole gave us, and it’s a match.”

Wynonna shrugs. “We didn’t see any injuries on her, but that doesn’t mean she couldn’t have her own blood on her own clothes.”

“That would be fair, yes, but…” Nedley pauses, looking worried.

“But _what_ , Sheriff?” Waverly prompts.

He takes off his hat, fidgeting with it. “Jeremy was also able to calculate how much was on the clothes and figure how much was likely there and then washed off in the rain. There was three and a half liters of blood, all Nicole’s.”

Waverly whistles softly. “That’s not possible,” she whispers.

“I know. But Jeremy tested it over and over. He even did some fancy disease immunity check that he said rules out some identical twin DNA thing.”

Wynonna raises a hand. “Do you smart people want to fill in the rest of the class?”

Waverly bites her lip and turns to Wynonna and Gus. “A person of Nicole’s height and approximate weight should have about four liters of blood in their body. If she lost three and a half? She should be _dead_ right now.”


	4. of guns and thunder

Waverly walks back into the house with Wynonna and Gus right behind her, and she freezes when she sees Nicole in the kitchen, helping Alice and her father, John Henry ‘Doc’ Holliday, unload the rest of the groceries.

“So where does this go, then?” Nicole asks Alice, holding up a container of ice cream.

Alice giggles. “The _freezer_.”

“Oh, yeah?” For a moment, Waverly thinks Nicole legitimately doesn’t know, until a smirk spreads across Nicole’s face. “Are you sure it doesn’t go in the breadbox?”

“Wha’s’a _breadbox_?”

Nicole looks up at Doc and rolls her eyes. “Kids.”

He snorts out a laugh as he puts away a box of Apple Cinnamon Cheerios.

Alice smacks her hand against Nicole’s thigh. “Not a _kid_!”

“I’m so sorry.” Nicole crouches down to get at eye level with Alice. “You’re right. You’re very mature and grown up.”

She pokes Alice in the belly and makes her giggle again, and Waverly hears a low growl in the back of Wynonna’s throat.

“Calm down,” Waverly whispers. “We don’t know what the situation is.”

“She could be faking amnesia to get close to us,” Wynonna mumbles, her eyes turning a pale gold.

Gus grabs the collar of Wynonna’s leather jacket and yanks her backward with a firm shake, like she’s a puppy being scolded by its mother. “That girl has been nothing but pleasant since she got here,” she hisses. “We don’t know that she has any clue about where that blood came from. I won’t have you threaten a guest. Certainly not until we have more information.”

Wynonna’s eyes fade back to their natural blue, and she folds her arms across her chest. “Fine. But I don’t want her around Alice.”

Waverly watches as Alice stands on one of Nicole’s boots and tugs on her pant leg, demanding a cookie. “I think your child is going to have some opinions on that.”

 

+++++

 

As Waverly and Gus go to finish the unloading and to separate Nicole and Alice, Wynonna grabs Doc by the front of his flannel shirt and drags him upstairs to their bedroom.

“I am aware that I have been away for a while, but I do not believe this is the appropriate time-”

“I’m not bringing you here for _sex_ ,” Wynonna says, slapping his shoulder.

“Ah. Well. You cannot blame me for making the assumption, darlin’.” He tips his cowboy hat and grins. “You are often quite glad to see me when I return from a mission.”

Wynonna lets out a breath. “I _am_ glad to see you. Did you and Alice get what you needed?”

“Why, of course. The fridges in the barn are fully stocked with enough blood to last us in the event that there are more bad storms throughout the summer.”

“Good.” Wynonna kisses him. “I don’t want either of you to have trouble.”

“She was excited to go. It was as easy of a trip as I thought it would be. No danger at all.” He puts his hands in his pockets and nods towards the door. “You seem like you have had some, though.”

“Waverly and I found her on the side of the road. No memories.”

“Yes, she told me her tale.” Doc raises an eyebrow. “What do you make of it?”

Wynonna shrugs and turns away, pacing a short pattern across the bedroom. “I’m not sure. Waverly and Gus seem to believe her. And to me, she seems honest. But… I just don’t trust that easily, you know?”

Doc chuckles. “Yes, darlin’, I know _exactly_ how _not easily_ you trust.”

“You’re not _still_ holding that whole ‘my wife tried to stake me on our first date’ thing against me, are you?”

“Not at all,” he says with a smirk. “For what my opinion is worth, I have not seen anything that would suggest a problem.”

“Your opinion means a lot, Henry. It does.” Wynonna runs a hand through her hair and stops pacing. “But do you think you could do me a favor?”

“Of course.”

“I want you to make sure Nicole Haught is not a vampire.”

 

+++++

 

Waverly holds Alice on her hip, subtly tickling her with weak electrical pulses at the small of her back as they watch Gus stack plates in Nicole’s hands.

“Set them on the table, would you, girl? Then I’ll get started on dinner.”

“Yes, ma’am.”

Nicole bumps Alice’s shoulder on her way past, and Waverly feels a soft warmth bubble through her body as the little girl laughs.

“You like Nicole, don’t you, baby girl,” Waverly murmurs, reaching one hand up to brush Alice’s hair behind her ear.

“S’nice,” Alice giggles. She drops her voice to a conspiratorial whisper. “For a _human_.”

Waverly snorts. “That’s a secret between us, right, kid?”

Alice nods, and Waverly smiles as she kisses her cheek.

Doc comes down the steps, taking them two at a time, and grins broadly as Alice reaches for him. He taps his daughter on the nose before turning to Nicole as she finishes setting the plates down. “Ms. Haught, perhaps we should get out of the line of fire? Cooking in this house can get a bit messy.”

“I was here for breakfast; I understand what you mean,” Nicole laughs.

He winks at her. “Then I shall show you what we do to pass the time.”

 

+++++

 

Waverly loads rounds into her shotgun as Doc sets up a series of glass bottles from the recycle bin on the fence post several yards away.

“Do not be disheartened if you lack the same skills Waverly and I show,” he says as he walks back over to stand next to Nicole. “We have been doing this for a very long time.”

He turns to Waverly and winks when Nicole’s back is turned, and Waverly snorts before raising her shotgun and firing, hitting one of the bottles dead on and shattering it.

Nicole squints down at the 9mm handgun she’s holding. “You target practice for fun every day? Have much occasion to need that knowledge?”

Doc shrugs. “It can come in handy around here, yes.”

She raises the gun, her hand centered on the grip.

“Lift your hand up just a bit. Closer to the top. That will give you a tighter aim.”

Nicole either doesn’t hear Doc’s words or ignores him, adjusting her grip lower on the gun, shifting into a better stance, and firing three times.

All three shots hit their targets precisely, shattering them into pieces.

Waverly lowers her shotgun slowly, stunned. Doc whistles. “Well, I will be damned. Are you certain this is the first time you have used a gun?”

“No. But I don’t _remember_ ever using a gun…” Nicole clears the weapon as if she’s held it her whole life, emptying the chamber and ejecting the magazine with fluid movements devoid of uncertainty.

“You’re _sure_ you don’t remember?” Waverly pushes, taking a step closer to Nicole. “Anything? Maybe if you took a few more shots, you would-.”

_“I said I don’t remember, Waverly!”_ Nicole snarls, rounding on her.

In the distance, there’s a loud rumble of thunder.

Waverly and Doc take a step back as Nicole’s eyes turn a glowing white, as if lit from some internal source.

The thunder dies out, and Nicole’s eyes fade back to brown. She blinks at their shock, and a faint blush forms on her cheeks. “Sorry. I’m just frustrated. Most of the things that are skills like this I have _some_ memory of, so knowing that my past is even more cloudy than I thought is… I’m sorry.”

“I-It’s okay,” Waverly stammers.

Nicole hands the gun back to Doc. “I should go make sure Gus and Wynonna don’t need anything.”

Once she’s gone, Waverly whispers, “Henry… what the _hell_ was that?”

“I have no idea. I was hoping she would get a slide bite so I could smell her blood. Check if she is a vampire.” Doc looks up at the sky, in the direction the thunder sounded from. “But if I know anything, it is that she most certainly is _not_.”


	5. of threats and smoke

A burst of fire almost hits Wynonna in the face as she opens the door to the Black Badge Division.

“Fucking hell, Dolls!” she hisses, hiding behind the door. “Are you kidding me with that?”

Waverly and Doc snort out laughs as they walk into the office. Waverly pats Xavier Dolls on the shoulder and steps past him to press a kiss to Jeremy Chetri’s cheek. “Testing how hot he burns again?”

Jeremy sighs and sets down the device he’s holding. “He went past the limits of my machines again, too.”

“When will you stop underestimating the powers of hellfire, son?” Doc asks, taking a seat in one of the chairs and propping his feet up on a desk.

“Come on, guys, how can I _not_ ask how hot hellfire is? What’s the point of having a hellhound around if I don’t get to ask the tough questions?”

Dolls slaps Jeremy on the back. “Nice to be appreciated.”

Jeremy laughs nervously. “Th-That’s not… That’s not what I meant. I mean. You’re obviously. Needed. Here. But. Y’know. We don’t.”

“Freak out later, geekfest,” Wynonna scoffs, finally stepping into the room. “We’ve got a mystery on our hands.”

“A case?” Jeremy asks, immediately perking up.

“Not sure.”

Dolls refills his coffee mug and sits down. “Is this about that woman you and Waverly found?”

“Yes. Gus has her doing inventory at the bar to keep her busy.” Wynonna drums her fingers on her gun and leans against the door. “The thing is, we can’t figure out what she is. Wave and Doc said that her eyes glowed white. Jeremy says she lost more blood than Doc drinks during a poker game.”

“Three point seven liters,” Jeremy reports. “I rounded when I told the sheriff. He never really listens when I start talking about the spells we use to find that sort of stuff.”

“Can you blame him?” Wynonna rolls her eyes, shoves Doc’s feet off the desk, and sits down. “The _point_ is that she’s not a hellhound, she’s not a vampire, she’s obviously not a warg like me… She came onto Earp land, so she’s not a werewolf like those Revenant scumbags… So what else is there?”

Waverly shrugs. “Maybe she has a curse, like me? We _did_ hear thunder at the same moment that her eyes changed.”

Wynonna snorts and tosses a stress ball from the desk at her sister. “Yeah, because you’re powerful enough to generate _storms_ , baby girl.”

“No need to be _petty_ ,” Waverly grumbles.

“There are a lot of things she could be. Some I’m familiar with; some I’m not. Some I’ve never even actually heard of. It’s a pretty big world out there, Earp.”

“Okay, Dolls, but this is _Purgatory_. Home of miscreants and deviants and the war of the wolves since long before I was born. How many things could she _really_ be?”

Dolls gives a short laugh, taking a seat behind his own desk. “You don’t want to know.”

 

+++++

 

The sun is starting to set as Nicole steps out of Gus’s truck and heads towards the front door of the Earp home.

“I wanted to thank you,” Gus says. “For being so willing to work today.”

“Anything I can do to pay off my debt to you is fine with me. I’m more than willing to work for the hospitality you’ve shown.” Nicole shoves her hands into her pockets and looks up at the darkening sky as she steps onto the porch. “You know. It’s strange. Ever since I woke up in this town, I’ve felt like something is… _wrong_. But at the same time, I feel like I belong here. Like I’ve always belonged here, even if I don’t know it.”

“Purgatory got its name for a reason.” Gus leans against the railing, studying Nicole through narrowed eyes. “It’s a crossroads. This place can take you straight to hell, or it can lead you on the path away from your darkest, most dangerous past deeds.”

“How do I know where I’m standing in those crossroads?”

Gus pats her shoulder. “You have to figure that out for yourself. Good and evil don’t matter much here. Neither does wrong or right. The longer you stay here, the more you’ll need to understand that. I know my girls wouldn’t want me to tell you this. But there’s trouble in this town that we have all been fighting our whole lives. I can tell that you’re a part of it. I just don’t know how yet. And when the time comes, you’ll need to pick a side, whether you understand it completely or not.”

Nicole’s brow furrows, and she leans against the railing beside her. “If I don’t understand, how am I supposed to- Do you hear that?”

Gus tenses, staring out across the open land. “That’s the time coming. Far sooner than I hoped. Get inside, Nicole.”

“But-”

“Get inside.” Gus shoves her towards the door, watching a line of cars drive towards the house. “This is not your fight.”

Nicole steps inside and lets the door close behind her, but she leans against it, peeking out through the window. She jumps when Waverly walks down the stairs, carrying Alice.

“What’s going on?”

“I don’t know,” Nicole whispers. “Someone’s coming. Gus sent me inside.”

Waverly squints out the window, pressed against Nicole for leverage, and Nicole feels her gasp. “No,” she murmurs.

“What is it? Who are they?”

The cars pull up in a line, stopping inside the fence, and a group of people get out, carrying guns, axes, and sickles and wearing red robes and crow masks.

“The Order. Those psychotic little… Stay here.” Waverly yanks the door open and steps outside.

 

+++++

 

“Wynonna Earp. To what do I owe this displeasure?” Bobo Del Ray sneers as Wynonna bursts through the front door of his bar.

“Just checking in, Robert,” Wynonna says with a smirk, glancing over her shoulder at Dolls and Doc. “Making sure you haven’t been up to anything.”

Bobo leans back in his chair and waves a hand, summoning the bartender with another mug of beer. “My boys and I have been behaving, Earp. Haven’t killed anybody in three whole days.”

Dolls snorts. “You say that like it’s an accomplishment.”

With a shrug, Bobo says, “Malcolm over here wanted to rip your sister apart just yesterday, so yes. I would consider that an accomplishment.”

Wynonna glares at the man Bobo is pointing at, her eyes darkening to pale gold. “Let’s make something clear. If any of you lays a finger on my family, I will rip all of you to shreds. Truce be damned.”

Bobo scoffs and stands, pulling his fur coat tighter around his body. “You should be more worried about a _different_ truce, Heir. The Order is back in town. And I heard they were sniffing around a certain… _unguarded_ property.”

“The Order?”

“I swear on my father’s bones,” Bobo says with a grin, his teeth sharpening to points. “You know. The ones your great-great-grandfather set on _fire_.”

Wynonna’s lip twitches. “We’ve had a nice thing going so far, Robert. Don’t ruin it by being stupid.” She grabs Dolls and Doc by their arms and pulls them as she backs away and out of the bar.

One of the men in the back of the bar growls quietly. “I sure hope you know what you’re doing, Bobo.”

“Oh, believe me, I do.” Bobo runs a hand through his hair and smirks, turning to face all the men in the bar. “We stay just antagonistic but helpful enough to both sides, and the Earps and the Order will tear each other apart.”

 

+++++

 

“You aren’t supposed to be here, Ewan,” Waverly says, stepping in front of Gus and standing on the ground just in front of the homestead. “We told you never to come back.”

One of the masked people steps forward and removes his mask and hood. “And _we_ told _you_ that we wouldn’t be gone for long. We won’t let our _home_ be overrun by _monsters_.”

Waverly smirks and crosses her arms. “What makes you think this time will be any different?”

“Simple. We aren’t going to confront you in a group anymore. We won’t barter. We won’t negotiate.” Ewan points his axe at Waverly. “We’re just going to hunt each and every one of you down and slaughter you.”

“I would really like to see you try. We’ll kill you before that happens.”

“Waverly,” Gus hisses softly. “Don’t. We are not murderers.”

Ewan smirks. “You should listen to your aunt. We wouldn’t want unnecessary bloodshed. Although she _is_ wrong. You _are_ murderers. All of your kind are. The monsters. The _creatures_. Purgatory isn’t for _you_. It’s for _us_. And we’re taking it back.”

“Not as long as I’m breathing.” Waverly’s whole body floods with electricity and shifts, and in her place stands a large white fox, lightning crackling along its fur.

“The point, Earp, is that you _won’t_ be breathing.” Ewan rests his axe on his shoulder. “Kill her.”

_“No!”_ Gus yells.

The door slams open, and Alice runs out onto the porch. _“Stop it!”_

Gus spins, fear in her eyes. “Alice, go back inside.”

Ewan holds up his hand, stopping his men from advancing. “Well, now. What is _this_?” He grins as he takes a small step forward and Waverly crouches lower to the ground, snarling. “A monster’s child. How cute.” He looks at one of his people and laughs. “I’m almost torn on what to do now. Take it and raise it to be a weapon for us, or just _kill_ the little creature.”

Waverly rushes forward, blinded by rage, and one of the Order slashes out at her, hitting her in the shoulder with his ax. Lightning arcs off of Waverly’s body and into the weapon, sending the Order member flying backward and slamming into the fence. He slumps to the dirt, unconscious, as Waverly tumbles to the ground, bleeding heavily from her shoulder.

“You _stupid_ little _fox_ ,” Ewan snarls. “You’re making it all too easy for me. Tucker. Take the old woman.”

The man he spoke to previously surges forward, punching Gus in the face as she tries to stand in front of Alice. He drags her over to where Waverly is trying to stand on her injured leg and forces her to her knees.

“Now you’re both going to watch. Watch as I start the extermination of the Black Badge Division right from the heart of it.”

Waverly’s fox form floods with electricity and shifts back into her human form, still bleeding from a gash on her shoulder. “Please,” she begs, as an Order member forces her up onto her knees. “If you want to kill me, then do it. But the girl is innocent in all of this. She doesn’t deserve-”

“You all deserve it. Black Badge, Revenant, the loners out there. It doesn’t matter who you are or what you say you do.” Ewan takes a gun from his belt and strikes Waverly with the butt of it. “You _all_ deserve this.”

As he raises the gun to point it at Alice, the door opens again, and Nicole rushes onto the porch.

“Whoa. Okay.” She lifts her arms from her side slowly. “I’m sure this is just a misunderstanding.”

“Nicole, go back inside,” Gus yells.

“No,” Ewan whispers. “No.” He squints at Nicole and takes a few steps forward. “That’s not possible. You’re _dead_.”

“I don’t know who you think I am,” Nicole says slowly. “But I’m still breathing, so you’re apparently wrong about that. Waverly checked my pulse and everything.”

Ewan’s hand starts to shake, and he looks to the rest of the Order. “We have to leave. Now.”

“What about the girl?” Tucker demands.

“We’ll get her later.” Ewan steadies his grip on his gun, lifts his aim towards Nicole, and fires.

_“Nicole!”_ Waverly screams.

The gunshot is deafening, echoing out into the emptiness.

The bullet passes straight through Nicole as if she isn’t even there, striking the wood siding behind her.

Nicole looks down at her chest, confused, but when she raises her head, her eyes are pure white. Ewan smacks Tucker’s arm and shoves him towards one of the cars. “All of you. Go. _Go!_ ”

Lightning slices the air above them as it starts to rain, and Nicole steps forward. Thick black smoke pours from her mouth with every word as she speaks, her voice not quite hers but not someone else’s, a few shades deeper and reverberating as if echoed by the thunder. “You think you can come here and kill a _child_?”

Nicole walks straight through Alice, phasing through her like a ghost, her body turning more and more to smoke with each step as she advances on the fleeing Order. By the time she gets to Ewan, frozen as he stares, she doesn’t look human anymore.

She’s shifted. In her place is a wolf made of thick black smoke, its eyes glowing white. As a person, Nicole stands 5’9”. The monster in front of them is the same height from the pads of its paws to the top of its shoulders.

“What are you?” Ewan whispers, his hand shaking so bad that he drops his gun.

The wolf’s only response is to snarl and snap glowing white teeth an inch from his face.

Ewan flees to the last remaining Order car, slipping in the wet grass as the rain comes down around them.

As soon as the lights from his car disappear into the distance, the rain eases off, and the smoke clears, leaving Nicole, as a human, standing in the middle of the yard, soaking wet and shivering.

Alice runs off the porch and into Gus’s arms, crying. Waverly stands slowly, holding her injured shoulder, staring at Nicole with an unreadable expression on her face.

“Nicole?” she murmurs.

Nicole turns to her, eyes back to brown. “Waverly,” she whispers, voice hoarse. “What’s happening to me?”


	6. of trust and answers

Wynonna gets out of Doc’s pink Cadillac while it’s still moving, sprinting up to the front door.

_“Waverly! Gus! Alice!”_

“Mama!” Alice runs out of the house, sobbing, tackling Wynonna at the knees.

“Baby girl. Are you okay?” Wynonna crouches down, hugging Alice to her.

The girl just whimpers, her grip on her mother tightening. Wynonna picks her up as Doc and Dolls get out of the car behind them.

“Is she alright?” Doc yells.

“I don’t know.” Wynonna presses a kiss to the side of Alice’s head and carries her into the house.

Inside, she finds Gus and Waverly at the kitchen table with the first aid kit. Waverly’s seated, her blouse stripped off, shivering in her bra, as Gus bandages a gash in her shoulder.

“What the hell happened?” Wynonna demands.

“The Order,” Waverly rasps, lifting a glass of whiskey and taking a sip from it. “They came for us.”

“I told those scumbags never to come back.”

Dolls leans against the wall. “How did they even get the power to cross the boundary again?”

“If I knew that, it would’ve been the first thing I told you,” Waverly mutters.

Gus prods Waverly’s wound with a cotton ball, making her flinch. “You’re not helping.”

Waverly sighs through gritted teeth. “They came here. A whole crowd of them. They were going to kill me and Gus, and then Alice came outside.” Her eyes soften as Alice whimpers and snuggles closer to her mother’s shoulder. “Ewan was going to shoot her, Wynonna.”

“I swear I am going to tear his head off,” Doc snarls.

“Not if I get to him first.” Wynonna kisses Alice’s hair again. “How’d you get the slice?”

Waverly bows her head and stays quiet. Gus snorts. “Damn fool shifted and charged at him.”

“ _Waverly._ You don’t have training like that.”

“Yeah, because you won’t _give me any_.”

Wynonna lowers her voice, making it more gentle. “Baby girl, we still don’t…”

“Understand what I am?” Waverly finishes bitterly. “Yeah. I got that.” She stands, pulling away from Gus. “I need to go get changed.”

She storms up the steps, and Wynonna sighs before turning to Gus with a frown. “Where’s Nicole?”

 

+++++

 

Waverly walks down the hallway towards her room and stops dead in her tracks when she finds Nicole leaning against her door, her legs hugged to her chest and her forehead resting against her knees.

“Nicole? Are you okay?”

Nicole lifts her head and looks at her, then flushes pink and turns away. “Uh… Waverly…”

Waverly glances down and blushes, lifting the shirt she’s carrying to cover her bra. “Uhm. Sorry. I forgot.”

“Welcome to the club.”

“Joking around while stressed, huh? You’re going to fit right in.” Waverly reaches over Nicole to open the door to her bedroom and steps around her to get inside. As she rifles in her closet to find a new shirt, she says, “What are you doing up here, anyway?”

Nicole shrugs as she stands. “I wanted to be alone, but then I got up here and remembered my room is _downstairs_.”

“Sorry.” Waverly pulls a shirt out of her closet and over her head. “Do you still want to be alone?”

“Not if it’s you. Especially not if you can tell me what the hell is going on around here.”

Waverly studies her for a moment before nodding and sitting down on her bed. “Take a seat, Nicole. This is going to be a lot to absorb.”

 

+++++

 

“You said she was made of smoke?”

Gus shrugs and leans against the sink. “Or ash, or soot, or something like that. Thick and varying shades of black and very dark gray. Solid in its place, but constantly moving, like it was shifting in the air.”

Wynonna squints at Dolls, holding Alice in her lap as she sits at the table. “You know what this is?”

“I’ve heard rumors. Some are said to be men who sold their souls to the Devil. Some are connected to the mythic versions of hellhounds. They’re associated with crossroads. Places where executions take place.” Dolls meets Wynonna’s gaze. “They’re rumored to be associated with thunderstorms, too.”

Doc swallows and takes a sip of whiskey. “What are they?”

“I’ve heard them called many things. Black Shuck. Freybug. The Gurt Dog. The Grim. Even the Hound of the Baskervilles.”

“That’s what they’re _called_ ,” Wynonna interrupts, sounding frustrated. “But what _are they_?”

Dolls pauses, drumming his fingers on the table. “They’re known simply as black dogs. They’re ghosts, Wynonna. Harbingers of death. And I have no idea whose side one would be on.”

 

+++++

 

“Do you recognize the name ‘Earp’?” Waverly asks, once Nicole sits down.

“Like Wyatt Earp?”

“Yes. He was my great-great-grandfather. And while he was everything the history books tell you, he was also something they won’t. He hunted werewolves.”

Nicole raises an eyebrow. “Werewolves? Like… furry during the full moon _werewolves_?”

“In a way. They have to shift during the full moon, yes. Into that half-man half-wolf creature you’re probably familiar with. When the moon _isn’t_ full, they can do a partial version. All of the time, they have heightened senses and strength and healing capabilities. My family has been fighting them for generations, with the help of that gun my sister carries. Peacemaker. It was enchanted to kill creatures like werewolves.”

“Aren’t they just… people?”

“Not anymore. Not the Revenants.”

“The Revenants?”

“They were around back when Wyatt was. Cursed to live until an Earp kills successfully kills all of them. We haven’t yet.”

“Okay… and what is it about this town that makes you all live in it?”

“There’s a boundary. A magical one, called the Ghost River Triangle. It encompasses Purgatory and the surrounding area. The Revenants can’t cross it, and neither can whoever wields Peacemaker. Creatures are drawn to Purgatory because of its power, and we make sure the people who live here are safe.”

“And those guys out there?”

“A bunch of asshole monster hunters called the Order. They’ve killed dozens of innocent people.”

Nicole nods slowly. “I-I… I think I’m getting it.”

Waverly grins. “Are you sure?”

“It’s a lot to take in, I’ll admit.” Nicole bumps her shoulder against Waverly’s good one. “What about you? You’re not a werewolf. I saw you.”

“I’m… I’m not an Earp by blood. My father was…” Waverly shrugs. “I don’t really care, honestly, but the main thing is that when I went looking to find out, I discovered that he had been an asshole and fucked up during an exploration in Japan. Got himself cursed with the powers of a kitsune. And then he passed that power on to me.”

“For what it’s worth, I think it’s really cool.”

Waverly laughs softly. “You don’t even know what’s going on.”

Nicole echoes her laugh and shrugs. “Not at all. But your voice got all quiet when you told me that, so I figured you could use the reassurance.”

Waverly pauses for a moment before resting her hand on Nicole’s knee. “You know, for an amnesiac, you have a pretty good sense of people.”

“I think I just don’t know enough yet to sass them.”

“Probably.”

Nicole rubs the back of her neck. “Do… Do you know… what _I_ am? Because I blacked out on that porch, but Waverly, I saw the way you were looking at me. I felt that storm in my bones, like it was feeding me, giving me for more strength and bravery than I really had in that moment. I saw that bullet go straight through me. And that scares the hell out of me.”

“I have no idea what you are, Nicole. I’m sorry. But we’ll figure it out. And we’ll figure out how you can control it.”

“Control it? Waverly, I don’t even know what it _is_. I don’t know what _I_ am.”

Waverly shifts her hand from Nicole’s knee, threading her fingers with Nicole’s. “Do you trust me?”

Nicole hesitates, then nods. “Yes.”

“Can that be enough?”

Nicole stares at her for a moment, jaw tense. She nods slowly. “Yeah, Waverly. It can.”


	7. of clarity and crossroads

Nicole paces in front of Waverly’s bed, chewing on her thumb. “Okay, so. Doc is a vampire.”

“Right.”

“And Alice is a… dhampir?”

“Yes.”

“Which is… half vampire.”

“Correct.”

“Okay. And Wynonna is a werewolf?”

Waverly shakes her head. “No, Wynonna _fights_ werewolves. Wynonna is a warg.”

“Like Norse mythology?”

“Sort of. It was twisted around a bit. Because she’s linked to Peacemaker, she can turn into a wolf.”

“Got it. And you work with a hellhound.”

“Dolls. Yes.”

“And you’re a kitsune.”

“Via an inherited curse, yes.”

Nicole pauses and rubs the back of her neck. “Okay. I… think? I’ve got it all.” Her brow furrows. “Is Gus something? Or the sheriff?”

“Gus is a coyote.”

“Like… a werecoyote…? Or…?”

“No, just a coyote. She can’t shift anymore, though. She got injured real bad before she adopted Wynonna and me.”

Nicole blinks. “That can happen?”

“Depending on the creature,” Waverly says with a shrug. “Sheriff Nedley is just human, though. So is Jeremy, who does our scientific stuff for us. He’s familiar with spells and some magic stuff, though.”

“Magic,” Nicole echoes weakly.

Waverly smiles and stands, resting her hands on Nicole’s shoulders. “Yes. Magic. I’m sorry, Nicole. I know this is a lot to take in. But this is Purgatory. This is… It’s how this place is.”

“Gus called it a crossroads,” Nicole murmurs.

“Yes, it’s…” Waverly’s eyes widen. “Crossroads,” she whispers.

“What?”

_“Crossroads!”_ Waverly grabs Nicole’s hand and drags her out of the room.

 

+++++

 

“I know what Nicole is!” Waverly yells as she leads Nicole into the kitchen.

“Shh,” Wynonna hisses at her. “I just put Alice down for a nap. The kid was exhausted from what those bastards did.”

“And we already know what she is,” Dolls says with a wave of his hand. “A black dog ghost.”

Nicole pales. _“Ghost?”_ She turns to Waverly. “I’m _dead_?”

“You’re clearly not. It’s more likely that the spirit was bonded to you. The process might’ve been what erased your memories.”

Dolls stands to refill his coffee. “Another possibility is that you _were_ dead, or close to it, but the spirit bonded to you in the process of bringing you back to life.”

“Neither of those options is reassuring,” Nicole says dryly.

Doc gives her a thin smile. “Is it preferred to the option that you sold your soul to the Devil?”

Nicole stares at him for a long moment. “I think I need to sit down.”

“Stop scaring her, Henry,” Waverly grumbles as she pulls out a chair and guides Nicole to it.

“Too late,” Nicole mutters.

“We know how _we_ figured it out,” Gus says. “Dolls guessed based on the description. But what made _you_ think of it, Waverly?”

“Something you said to Nicole, about crossroads? I realized something.” Waverly steps into the living room and opens a chest, moving a few things around and coming back with a map of the Ghost River Triangle. She lays it out on the table and taps a spot near the salt flats. “This is where we found Nicole. Do you see anything interesting about it?”

They gather around the map, staring down at it, until Dolls says, “It’s the exact point where the flats intersect with the edge of the Triangle.”

“And where two mines intersect,” Doc points out.

“And where the public land intersects with that private land that’s in Constance Clootie’s name,” Wynonna says.

Gus taps the map. “There’s also a road intersection there.”

“ _And_ ,” Waverly says, “a few hundred years ago there was an intersection there for a few horse trails.”

Dolls whistles softly. “Crossroads. And I would be willing to bet that, if we went out there, we’d find even more instances.”

Nicole runs a hand over her face. “I don’t understand. What does this have to do with this black dog thing?”

“Black dogs are known to guard crossroads.” Dolls looks at Gus. “You said that Ewan seemed to recognize Nicole, right?”

“I reckon he did; he sure as hell seemed spooked the moment she stepped onto that porch.”

“What if she’s the reason they were able to get back into the Ghost River Triangle? What if they figured out that a black dog was guarding a weak point, a collection of crossroads converging in the flats, so they sacrificed it as the final crack in order to slip back through.”

Nicole laughs. “ _Sacrificed it?_ Let me get this straight. You think I’m possessed by a spirit that was murdered so that some vigilante group could get in here to kill all of you?”

“Or…” Waverly trails off, biting her lip.

Nicole looks at her and frowns. “Or what?”

Waverly gives her a sympathetic smile. “Or the Order sacrificed _you_.”

 

+++++

 

Wynonna walks out onto the porch and sits down next to Waverly. “So. How’s she taking it?”

Waverly snorts into her coffee mug. “Not well. How would _you_ take suddenly finding out that you’re in a town full of mythological creatures and oh yeah by the way you’re also inhabited by a ghost and might be dead?”

“How would _I_ take it? I guess I’ll go lock the alcohol cupboard up, then.” Wynonna taps her fingers against her glass of whiskey. “Do you think we can trust her?”

“What do you mean?”

“She seems nice. Friendly. But how do we know it’s not a trap? How do we even know that she really lost her memories?”

Waverly shrugs. “I believe her. I saw the fear in her eyes, Wynonna. I heard the uncertainty in her voice. She doesn’t understand what’s going on any more than we do.”

“I hope you’re right. Because I can’t afford to deal with a wolf in the hen house while I’m also dealing with a hundred of them in the pastures.”

“… You lost me.”

Wynonna rolls her eyes. “The Revenants are getting restless. I’m not sure how long this truce will hold. And the Order back in town? Trying to kill us? Trying to kill _my child_? No. I’m not sitting here and waiting for them to come to me. We’re taking the fight to them. And I don’t have time to deal with that while also waiting to figure out whether Nicole is going to stab us in our sleep.”

“She won’t,” Waverly says, a bit too quickly. “I mean. I’ll make sure she won’t. You worry about everything else, Wynonna. I’ll worry about her. I need practice controlling my form, anyway. I’ll see if I can figure out what makes hers tick.”

“Hm.” Wynonna takes a sip of her whiskey and pats Waverly on the knee. “Just make sure you take care of yourself, okay? Watch your back.”

“I will. I promise. And besides, I’m the only one who can’t get hurt by those thunderstorms of hers, anyway.”

“You have a fair point there.” Wynonna leans back in her chair, watching as a cloud drifts over the waning moon. “Waverly,” she whispers.

“Yes?”

“If the Order murdered Nicole so that they could get back here… it’s our fault. What happened to her is our fault.”

Waverly sets her coffee cup down. “Yeah,” she murmurs. “I’ve already thought of that, too.”


	8. of progress and doom

“ _Nicooooolllleeeee!_ Throw the ball!”

Nicole chuckles, tossing the wiffle ball back and forth from one hand to the other. “I don’t know. I think I might keep it.”

Alice lowers her bat and pouts. “But I wanna _play_!”

The ball sails right past the little girl. “Why didn’t you swing?” Nicole asks, smirking.

“Hey!” Alice’s blue eyes darken, and she runs at Nicole, still holding the plastic yellow bat.

On the porch, Wynonna watches as Nicole dodges out of the way of Alice’s light swings, laughing. “Are you comfortable with this? Her playing with Nicole?”

Doc shrugs. “From what we have been told, Nicole is only taken over when there is a crack of thunder. As long as that continues, we will be warned if there is anything to be concerned about.”

“What about…” Wynonna trails off and shakes her head.

“What about what, darlin’?”

Wynonna bites her lip. “What about the part of her that _isn’t_ a ghost?”

Doc takes a sip of his coffee. “You think we have to worry about the beauty that hides the beast?”

“I think I don’t trust someone who doesn’t know who they are. They’re unpredictable.” Wynonna runs her thumb along Peacemaker’s handle. “I know that’s not fair. I know the odd’s are good that she’s a victim in all of this. But… I don’t know what to do.”

“Well… For the time being, she seems to get along fine with Alice. I do not plan on leaving them _alone_ , but I also do not think we need to assume to worst of Nicole, at least not yet.” Doc rests his hand on Wynonna’s shoulder and leans forward, kissing the side of her head. “It will be alright, Wynonna. I swear it.”

“Oh, well as long as you _swear_ it,” Wynonna teases.

“I _do_.” He hands her his coffee cup. “Hold this, would you, darlin’?”

“Why-”

Doc rushes forward in the blink of an eye, grabbing Alice around the waist and picking her up. Alice giggles and swings the bat backward, trying to hit him with it.

“Daddy, _no_! Down!

Doc ducks and bat and swings her around, resting her on his hip. “Maybe I do not want to.”

Alice taps him on the forehead and giggles again. “That’s mean, Daddy.”

“Is it now?”

Nicole rests her hands on her knees, panting. “Christ, your kid is fast.”

Doc raises an eyebrow at her. “She is half _vampire_.”

“Right.” Nicole lies down on the grass, covering her face. “I think I need to start writing these things down.”

 

+++++

 

Wynonna knocks on the doorway of the sheriff’s office a moment before barging in, Dolls close behind her.

Nedley stares at them, mid-bite into a cheeseburger. “Cnynkrp?”

“Huh?”

He glares and swallows, setting down his food. “Can you knock, Earp?”

Wynonna sits in front of his desk and puts her feet up. “I did knock.”

“Right. What do you want?”

“Have you heard anything out of the Revenants lately?” Dolls asks, sitting next to Wynonna and pushing her feet off of Nedley’s desk.

Nedley shakes his head. “They’ve been unnervingly quiet. We didn’t even have any injuries on the full moon.”

_“None?”_

“None. At least, none reported. And I agree with that look of disbelief, Wynonna. I had my officers check the whole county twice over. We found nothing.”

Wynonna spins her necklace between her fingers. “They had to know,” she murmurs. “Before yesterday. They knew.”

“Knew what?”

Dolls sets a bagged bullet on Nedley’s desk. “That round came from a gun fired by a member of the Order.”

Nedley is quiet as he picks up the plastic bag and stares down at it. “I thought we were rid of them?”

“We thought so, too. They’re back. They came after Gus, Waverly, and Wynonna’s daughter.”

“Is everyone okay?”

“Mostly,” Wynonna says through gritted teeth. “We’re still working on exactly how they would’ve gotten through the boundary again, but in the meantime, watch your back. There’s no telling who they’ll target.”

Nedley nods. “I will. I’m still looking into Nicole, as well. There isn’t any ‘Nicole Haught’ on a missing person list here or in the States, so I’m dividing my attention between looking for the name elsewhere and considering whether it’s not really her name, and she _is_ listed as missing.”

“You may want to consider recent death certificates, too.”

Nedley stares at Wynonna for a moment. “Is this about all that blood?”

“That, and the fact that Ewan thought she was already dead.”

“Lord,” he mutters. “What did this kid get herself into?”

Dolls looks grim. “That’s what we’re trying to find out, Sheriff.”

 

+++++

 

“Do you trust me?”

Nicole shifts uncomfortably as she looks down at Waverly. “I already told you I did. But this is… I mean, come on, Waverly, this is crazy.”

“Crazier than me turning into a fox and you summoning thunderstorms?”

Nicole sighs and steps back, unbuttoning her waistcoat. “At least don’t make me get blood on this. Your aunt _just_ bought it for me.”

Waverly rolls her eyes. “The point is that I’m not _goin_ g to get blood on it, Nic.”

“I’m still not entirely sure that you weren’t hallucinating.”

“Smoke poured out of your mouth and you turned into a huge black wolf thing. You walked straight through Alice. This is going to work.”

Nicole lays her vest on a fence post and interlocks her hands behind her back, closing her eyes. “Sure, Waverly. Whatever you say. Can we just get this over with?”

Waverly snorts out a laugh. “Gee, you sound so thrilled.” She raises a .22 caliber pistol, aims, and shoots at Nicole’s shoulder.

The bullet passes straight through her without leaving a mark, striking the fence behind her.

Waverly punches the air. “That is _so fucking cool_.” When Nicole doesn’t open her eyes, she frowns. “Nic? Nicole? Are you okay?”

Nicole opens her eyes, and they’re glowing pure white.

“Oh, wow,” Waverly whispers. She takes a cautious step. “Can you still hear me?”

Instead of answering, Nicole lunges forward, smoke billowing from her mouth with each breath. She grabs Waverly’s shoulders and stars pushing her backward, as if trying to knock her over.

“Nicole. _Nicole!_ ”

There’s a growling noise deep in Nicole’s throat, and thunder cracks overhead. Waverly wrenches out of Nicole’s grip and backs up as Nicole’s whole body is covered in smoke that shapes into a wolf’s form.

As it starts to rain, Waverly lights up with electricity and shifts down into a fox.

The black dog leaps at her with a snarl, and the fox dodges. Waverly brushes her tail along the side of the smoke creature, crackling with lightning, and it passes through it without causing any damage.

Nicole spins on her paws, white eyes narrowed. She lifts her head and howls, and a bolt of lightning streaks down from the sky, hitting the ground between them. Waverly steps through the smoking ground, unbothered by the crackles of energy that burst into her fur.

The black dog growls again and jumps, hitting Waverly in the chest, and sending them both tumbling across the wet ground.

The fox pins the dog beneath it and gets in its face, barking and snarling.

There’s a long pause, silent and still, even in the midst of the storm.

Then the smoke and rain fade at the same time, leaving Nicole in human form pinned down, staring up at Waverly’s fox form, confusion on her face.

Waverly shifts back, her hands clenched tight on Nicole’s shoulders. “Are you okay?”

“I-I… I think so.” Nicole swallows. “I can’t control it at all, can I?”

“No. But we’ll figure it out. We _will_.”

“I wanted to hurt you, didn’t I?”

Waverly shakes her head. “It didn’t really feel like that. It felt more like what happens when you corner something that wants to get away. Anger based in fear. Lashing out because there’s nowhere else to go.”

“How do I control something like _that_?” Nicole whispers.

“You will.” Waverly absentmindedly brushes a streak of mud off of Nicole’s cheek with her thumb. “I know you can. It won’t be easy, but I’m not afraid of a little work. Are you?”

“No,” Nicole says softly.

Waverly looks down and realizes that she’s sitting on Nicole’s hips. She flushes pink. “Uhm. Sorry.” She rolls off of Nicole and stands. “Sorry.”

Nicole gets to her feet and tries to brush some of the dirt and mud off of her pants. “You don’t need to apologize for helping me, Waverly,” she says.

“That’s not what I was…” Waverly trails off, seeing the glint of amusement in Nicole’s eyes. The blush on her face darkens. “Right. Maybe we should call it a day. One attempted bullet wound and a duel in the rain is enough, I think.”

“That’s fine.”

“Not _much_ progress, but I do think we learned something here today, so it’s something.” Waverly turns and starts to walk away.

As Nicole turns to retrieve her waistcoat, Waverly swears she hears her say, “Learned a _lot_ today…”

 

+++++

 

“This is where you found Nicole, then?” Dolls asks, pacing back and forth around the spot.

“Yeah,” Wynonna says, leaning against the SUV. “Nedley’s people have already been over it, though. They didn’t find anything.”

Dolls gives her a look. “They aren’t _us_ , though.”

“Be my guest. I don’t have any interest in smelling salt for the next three days.”

He snorts, and his eyes glow yellow. His joints make cracking noises as he shifts and morphs, and in moments a huge black and brown mottled hound with yellow eyes and flames burning along its spine is standing in front of her.

“Have fun,” Wynonna says lazily, flipping through her phone.

The hellhound puts its nose down against the ground and wanders around the area for a while, sniffing and searching.

After about five minutes, Dolls shifts back into his human form. “Wynonna.”

“Shit, did you actually find something?”

“Mhm.”

“Fuck,” Wynonna complains as she walks over. “I’m never going to hear the end of this.” She stands next to him and lets out a soft whistle. “Is that what I think it is?”

“Probably.” Dolls points at a line of police tape. “It’s outside where Nedley’s guys would have searched, so it’s no wonder they didn’t find it. Their dogs wouldn’t have been looking for something like this.”

Wynonna crouches down and studies the symbol carved into the ground, broken in half as if an earthquake split it down the middle. “I heard rumors that Wyatt had imprisoned the original werewolf using magical seals, but I didn’t believe it was true. How would someone even break one of these?”

“Well,” Dolls says slowly, “one way to break a seal like this is to make a sacrifice to it.”

Wynonna closes her eyes. “Oh, those fools. They wanted to get back here so badly…”

Dolls nods, his hands clenched into a fist. “They were so desperate to get back into the Triangle to fight monsters, they weakened the protection on the worst one of them all.”


	9. of practice and shadows

“Mama, can I go to Shorty’s with Gramma and Nicole?”

Wynonna frowns down at Alice as she tugs on one of the tears in her jeans. “I don’t know, baby girl. I don’t want you to get in Gus’s way.”

“Oh, she’ll be fine,” Gus says, ruffling Alice’s hair as she walks past. “She’s been learning how to count money, isn’t that right, girl?”

“Yeah!”

Wynonna lowers her voice. “And Nicole?”

Gus shrugs. “Said she wants to help. I’m not going to deny her that just because her alter-ego has some rude teeth. I dealt with that with you and Waverly. I can handle it on somebody who _isn’t_ an Earp.”

 “Are you suggesting that Earps are difficult?”

“Oh, I would _never_.”

Wynonna picks Alice up and carries her over to the cabinet to get the cereal box. “Your grandma is mean, kiddo.”

Alice giggles. “I like it.”

 

+++++

 

Doc gets out of his car with Wynonna at the spot where the seal is broken. “What is the verdict, Jeremy?”

“It’s old,” Jeremy says, kneeling in the dirt, squinting at the seal through big magnifying glasses that are sliding down his nose.

“No shit? Wow, Sherlock, I’m _stunned_ by this news.” Wynonna rolls her eyes. “Is there anything that tells us _what it does_?”

“You’re not helping,” Dolls grumbles.

Jeremy doesn’t seem to notice. “What’s unusual is that it’s clearly old, the growth around it is evidence enough, but it shows absolutely no weathering. Whatever made this was definitely a supernatural force, ergo, magic.”

“Any indicator of what _broke_ it?”

Jeremy taps the crack in the earth with a metal stick. “Not sure. But there’s blood here. When I looked inside with a flashlight, before you guys got here, I could see it dripping inside.”

Doc, Dolls, and Wynonna look at each other at the same moment.

“Hold on. Jeremy. It’s _dripping_?” Dolls grabs the back of Jeremy’s sweatshirt and pulls him away from the seal. “If that’s Nicole’s blood, it’s been here for _days_. How could it still be _wet_?”

Jeremy pauses. “Ohhhh… Yeah. That’s not a good sign.”

“Does it mean something to you? Because I do not have any clue as to what something like _that_ would mean,” Doc says, leaning towards the seal to get a better look, his mustache twitching with unease.

“Maybe?” Jeremy shrugs. “Well, I mean, it _might_ mean that enough blood was put into it that it’s being fed slowly, so the process used to crack it isn’t actually finished yet, and the magic is keeping the blood fresh for now.”

Dolls rests his hand on his gun. “What will happen when it dries?”

“Possibly nothing if more than one seal is involved, possibly some fire and brimstone. What did you say was imprisoned here?”

“Could be… Clootie,” Wynonna mumbles.

Jeremy frowns. “Who?”

“It’s not his real name, but I can’t say it out loud. I don’t want to risk it.”

“He was one of the big deal werewolves Wyatt was hunting back in the day,” Doc says, crossing his arms. “The one who created the Revenants in the first place, and put the curse on Peacemaker.”

“And on my bloodline,” Wynonna murmurs. She pulls Peacemaker out of its holster and checks the cylinder before putting it back. “We need to talk to the others. Everyone needs to be prepared. This is bigger than the Revenants and the Order combined, and we need to all be ready for it.”

She takes Doc’s keys from him and turns towards the Cadillac, hitting the button to unlock it.

Nothing happens.

Wynonna frowns and hits the button again. “The hell?”

Dolls glances at his watch and narrows his eyes. “Jeremy, do you have cell service?”

Jeremy takes out his phone. “Uh, my phone’s dead. Which is weird, because I always charge it fully before I go into the field.”

“I think we have a more current problem.” Dolls lets his eyes light up. “Something’s here.”

Wynonna looks around, tense. “Where?”

The afternoon sun suddenly darkens to a pitch black.

Through the darkness, Dolls’s voice whispers, “I don’t know.”

 

+++++

 

“Hey!”

Nicole looks up as Waverly sits down across from her at the table in the back of the bar. “Hi. I thought you were with Wynonna?”

“Nah, she went somewhere with the boys. They tend not to bring me on their ‘Official Black Badge Division’ field trips, even though I qualified for them a long time ago.”

Nicole puts her pencil down. “How come?”

Waverly rolls her eyes. “Because before Alice got here, I was still the baby of the family, and old habits die hard.”

“Ouch. That’s rough, dude.”

“I’ve learned to live with it. At least until I have leverage that will get me on cases for real.” Waverly taps her fingers against the notebook Nicole is writing in. “What are you working on?”

“Gus wants a full tally of last week’s alcohol consumption, so that she has a better idea of what’s selling well and what isn’t. Unfortunately, you guys live in the Stone Age, and you use paper receipts with no digital component. So I get to do the whole thing by hand.”

Waverly smiles. “You don’t actually sound that unhappy about it.”

Nicole shrugs. “It’s busy work, but I want to help, and, honestly, I don’t mind it. It’s better than getting lost in the memories I don’t have.”

“Still haven’t gotten _any_ of them back?”

“No.” Nicole folds her hands in front of her, shoulders slumping. “And honestly… I’m not really sure I’m going to. Gus told me to be prepared for it, and I am, but… it’s not something I want to think about, either, you know?”

“I get that.” Waverly pauses, watching as Nicole picks her pencil back up and writes down a few more numbers. “Hey. Could you come with me for a moment? Just a minute or two. I want to try something.”

“Sure.” Nicole brushes her hair off of her forehead with her fingers and sticks her pencil behind her ear, and Waverly hesitates, staring. “Waverly? Is everything okay?”

“Y-Yeah. It’s fine.” Waverly grabs Nicole’s wrist and pulls her into the storage closet.

“Do you guys need something taken off the shelf?” Nicole asks, looking up at the casks.

“What? No. Just…” Waverly rests her hands on Nicole’s shoulder. “I want you to try to use your powers.”

Nicole takes a step back, shaking her head. “Waverly, no. There are people here, and I don’t want to-”

“You won’t hurt anyone,” Waverly soothes, taking Nicole’s hand in hers. “As far as we know, the black dog has never attacked anyone except for people that have attacked it. I’m not asking you to try to transform or summon a storm or anything like that. I just want to see if you can turn on the shadows.”

“In what way?”

Waverly strokes her finger along Nicole’s knuckles. “Just concentrate. On the fear you felt when you first woke up and couldn’t remember anything. Your frustration. Whatever it feels like when you open your eyes after you’ve changed. Think of that, and think of making your hand turn to smoke.”

Nicole stares at her hand for half a minute before shaking her head and trying to pull away. “It’s not going to work, Waverly.”

“Nicole,” Waverly says, more firmly. “You aren’t _trying_.”

“… Fine. But promise me you won’t let me get lost?”

“I’m not letting you out of my sight. I swear.”

Nicole takes in a long, slow breath, closes her eyes, and opens them again, staring straight ahead.

Nothing happens for a solid five minutes. Then, thick black smoke materializes out of thin air, swirling slowly around Nicole’s arm and Waverly’s hand where they’re still touching.

“Wow,” Waverly whispers. “Look at you. I told you.”

They hear a soft rumble of thunder outside, and Nicole closes her eyes. Waverly reaches up with her free hand, resting her palm against Nicole’s cheek. “Stay with me, Nic,” she murmurs. “You’re okay.”

The smoke swirls up Nicole’s arm towards her shoulder, and Nicole’s arm tenses, her hand clenching so tight around Waverly’s that it hurts. When the smoke starts to twist towards Nicole’s neck, she gasps and her eyes snap open, and the smoke disappears instantly.

Nicole stumbles a few steps backward, panting. “Shit,” she mumbles.

“Hey,” Waverly says softly. “Are you alright?”

“Y-Yeah,” Nicole stammers. “I think so. That was just… It felt… I don’t even know how to describe it.”

“You’re okay, though?” Waverly bites her lip, worried. “I didn’t push it too far?”

Nicole is pale, but she rests her hands on Waverly’s shoulders and gives her a small smile. “I’m fine, Waverly. Really, I am. Thank you.”

Waverly stares up at her. “Nicole, I-”

The door to the storage room opens, and they take a few steps away from each other, flustered. “Sorry to interrupt,” Nedley says, holding his hat in his hands. “Nicole, there’s someone here who would like to talk to you.”

Nicole glances at Waverly, frowning. “To me?”

Nedley nods. “Yes. Said she knew you, before you… well. You already know that part.”

A tall woman with dark hair steps into view behind Nedley. “Hello, Nicole,” she says gently. “My name is Shae.”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Hey! Don't panic, I'll be back, but this fic likely won't update until Monday, because I'm headed out of state for the weekend. ....enjoy the cliffhanger.


	10. of pasts and revelations

“I was looking into death certificates when a new missing person report came in,” Nedley says, his voice soft as he stands next to Waverly. “A woman from Colorado who went on a hunting trip up here and never came back, who was reported missing.”

Waverly watches Shae sit down at a table across from Nicole. “She’s legit?”

“Ran a full background on her before I let her come here. Everything she told me checked out. Nicole came up here five weeks ago, was supposed to spend three weeks, and when she didn’t come home, Shae reported her missing.”

“Two weeks overdue? That doesn’t seem suspicious to you?”

Nedley snorts. “Of course it does. But it would be even more suspicious if we didn’t report that we found her. So we’re going to keep an eye out and figure out just what’s really going on here.”

Waverly pats his arm and looks over at Shae again. “Never doubted you for a moment, Sheriff.”

 

+++++

 

“So… We know each other?”

Shae rubs her wedding ring between her fingers, an anxious smile on her face. “Yes. We do.”

“I’m sorry,” Nicole whispers, scratching the back of her neck and avoiding eye contact. “I don’t remember you.”

“That’s okay. Sheriff Nedley told me that you likely wouldn’t.”

“Could you… Could you tell me what happened? Where I went?”

Shae sighs and leans back in her chair, drinking from a glass of water. “You’re from Quebec, but you were living in Colorado. Five weeks ago, you decided to come up to Calgary for a three-week hunting trip, but you never came back. So I reported you missing, and not long after that, the sheriff contacted me.”

Nicole’s gaze rises, and she meets Shae’s eyes. “Two weeks?”

“Hm?”

“You waited two weeks to call the police?”

Shae leans forward. “Look-”

“Nicole!” Alice runs down the steps from the room above the bar and sprints over to the table, jumping up into Nicole’s lap and landing with a heavy thud. “Nic, can we get ice cream?”

“Hey, kiddo.” Nicole kisses the side of Alice’s head. “I’m a little busy, but maybe your Aunt Waverly can take you? I promise we’ll do something fun later, alright?”

Alice pouts up at her. “But… ice cream.”

Nicole laughs and shifts Alice so that she’s more securely on her lap. “I know, Al.”

Alice turns to look at Shae. “Who’s’at?”

Shae’s gaze softens. “My name is Shae. I’m a friend of Nicole’s.”

“Nic has friends?”

Nicole snorts and sets Alice back on the floor. “Thanks a lot, Al. Go hang out with your aunt for a bit. Please? For me?”

Alice pouts for a moment longer before sighing. “Okay, Nicole.”

Once she runs off towards Waverly, Shae says, “Friend of yours?”

Nicole laughs. “Apparently, I don’t _have_ friends.”

Shae echoes her laugh, a bit more weakly, and fidgets with the ring on her hand again. “You look happy, Nicole. Here, with these people.”

“There are some things that are a bit hard to explain, and I’m still getting used to how things work around here, but… I am. I am happy. Even if I don’t remember everything, I’m happy with the person that I am right now.” Nicole leans back in her chair. “That doesn’t mean that I don’t want to be involved in the life I left behind, of course, but right now, I… Again, this is really hard to explain, but I have something I need to take care of here before I can really go back to whatever it is. Unless there’s something urgent?”

“No,” Shae says slowly. “But I really don’t… You’re not safe here, Nicole.”

“Oh?”

Shae leans forward again and lowers her voice. “Do you remember _anything_ from the five weeks you were missing?”

Nicole shrugs. “No. Why? Do you know something?”

“Maybe.” Shae bows her head. “Nicole, I lied to the police. You didn’t go on a hunting trip. A group of men came to our home. They knew that you had hunted in this area before, and that you were very good at looking for things. That you could be hired to take them places regular guides wouldn’t go. That you wouldn’t ask questions.”

“What were they looking for?”

“They said they were looking for a mine. One that had both gold and silver in it, that had been discovered long ago but lost without its contents being extracted. They said that locals refused to go out there, because there were rumors that the area was haunted, so they needed someone who would be brave enough and ruthless enough to do what they needed done. With a cut of the findings. You told me that you figured it would take at least six weeks to get everything going, and that you’d contact me after that to let me know you were okay.”

Nicole squints. “But you didn’t wait that long… Why?”

“A week ago, one of the men who hired you came to visit me. Gave me a letter that was in your handwriting, but didn’t sound like you. You were talking all about how you were frustrated because you weren’t making progress, but that you hoped everything would be finished up soon. This man told me that that was the last thing you wrote before the whole group was attacked by mountain lions, that you were dead and your body had been dragged off. And as a bonus, nobody ever found that mine they were looking for.”

“I’m pretty lively for mountain lion food,” Nicole jokes, her laughter strained.

“Yeah, well, I didn’t believe him. Especially when he showed me a gun and told me to never tell anyone where you had gone.”

Nicole leans forward, tensing. “Do you know who this guy was? His name? Anything we can do to find him?”

Shae glances at Nedley and Waverly, distracted by an insistent Alice.

“I trust them, Shae.”

“Forgive me if I don’t quite trust your opinion currently,” Shae mutters. She sighs and says, “His name was Ewan. He said he worked for a company called… what was it…”

“The Order?”

Shae blinks. “You remember?”

Nicole shakes her head, and her eyes briefly drop down to Shae’s hands. “No. But I think I’m starting to piece some things together anyway.”

 

+++++

 

“Are you okay?” Waverly asks, handing Nicole a glass of whiskey as she sits at a table with her.

“Yeah. Shae went back to her hotel, but we’re going to talk again later.” Nicole rubs at her eyes. “How’s Alice? She seemed disappointed in me.”

“Nedley took her out for ice cream, and he always gives her way more than she needs, so she’ll be happy by the time you get back to the homestead.”

Nicole spins her glass on the table. “I don’t know if I should go with you.”

“What? Why?”

“From what Shae’s told me, about the reason I went missing? I went with the Order willingly. I wasn’t… I don’t think I was that great of a person, Waverly. And I don’t know if the person I was before is the sort of person who should be trusted with the power I apparently have. Trusted around you, Gus, Alice, the others… I don’t know what I’m capable of, Waverly.”

“Hey…” Waverly stands up and walks around the table, taking Nicole’s face in her hands and lifting her head to meet her gaze. “I trust you, Nicole. Whatever you were before, we can handle it. Whatever the Order did to you, we can handle that, too. I promised that we would figure it out, and I’m not going to break that promise.”

Nicole pauses. “Waverly… Why do you want to help me so much? Why do you trust me?”

Waverly hesitates, panic flickering in her eyes. “I-I…”

“… What?”

Waverly swallows before leaning down and pressing a soft kiss to Nicole’s lips. “That, you idiot. I’m sorry. I know you have a lot going on, and I’m not expecting anything, but _that_ is why I’ve been-”

Nicole pulls back, confusion and worry on her face.

“… Nicole? What’s wrong?”

“I-I…” Nicole looks away, anxiously playing with the buttons on her vest. “Waverly, I think I’m married.”


	11. of fights and discomfort

Wynonna fires blindly into the darkness.

“Dammit, woman, I am not a target!”

She flinches. “Sorry, Henry.”

Glowing eyes appear next to her. “I still can’t see anything. Any theories on how we fight something we can’t see?”

Wynonna laughs dryly. “Here I was hoping _you’d_ have something.”

“There is something two hundred yards to Wynonna’s three o’clock,” Doc’s voice says, low and urgent. “I can hardly see it. Whatever is creating this darkness is powerful enough to overwhelm my night vision. It looks to be in the shape of- _oh, good Lord!_ ”

Wynonna and Dolls feel a heavy weight slam past them, and then, to their right, Jeremy screams.

_“Jeremy!”_ Wynonna yells. She shoves her gun back into its holster and shifts into her wolf form, sprinting off towards the sound.

The _something_ is barely outlined even to her eyes, huge, larger even than Dolls’s form. She focuses on Jeremy’s voice and scent, following as he’s rapidly dragged away from the group. Wynonna speeds up, running as fast as she can, until she catches up and lunges, snapping at the jaws locked on Jeremy’s arm.

The beast howls in pain and releases him, and the darkness lessens, just a bit, so that Wynonna can get a better view as she places herself between it and Jeremy.

It’s a werewolf. Twice her size, with thick black fur and a glowing Revenant brand on its shoulder. Its eyes are pitch black, instead of the normal orange fire Wynonna is used to, and the stare chills her down to her bones.

She knows who this is. Waverly told her about him months ago.

Killer Miller. One of the more bloodthirsty Revenants to ever exist. Powerful enough to drain all the light around his targets.

One of the Revenants who killed her father.

Wynonna snarls and crouches down close to the ground. Miller leaps at her with a howl.

They roll on the ground, fighting, and Wynonna hears Jeremy calling for Doc and Dolls. A blast of fire flies over Wynonna’s head and strikes Miller, knocking him backward, and Wynonna pushes upward at the same moment that Dolls- in hellhound form -slams into his side.

Doc grabs Jeremy and drags him out of the way, pulling off his jacket and pressing it down on the bleeding wound.

“It’s bl-bleeding,” Jeremy stammers. “It’s bleeding.”

“I know, son. I can see it as plain as I can smell it.”

Jeremy reaches his good arm up and grabs the front of Doc’s shirt, pulling him down towards him. “I don’t want to be a werewolf,” he whimpers.

Doc stares down at him before patting his arm. “It will be okay, Jeremy. I promise. You will be just fine. We will take care of you.”

Wynonna howls in pain as Miller drags his claws down her side, throwing her a few feet away. She shifts back into human form, one hand pressed against her wound as she gasps for breath. Dolls lights his mouth full of fire and bites down hard on Miller’s shoulder. The area around them lightens a bit more.

“Dolls, pin him down!”

Dolls spits a small flame back towards her, and she rolls her eyes. “Yeah, I get it, it’s hard, _just do it!_ ”

He bites at Miller’s shoulder, grunting through the thick fur as Miller’s claws dig into his hind leg. They scuffle, and Dolls digs his teeth into Miller’s throat, forcing him down onto the ground. Wynonna takes Peacemaker out of its holster and rushes forward, raising it as it glows. “Go to hell, you son of a bitch.”

Miller snarls up at her, and she fires, shooting him between the eyes. He gets out one final howl before it cuts off sharply, and his body slowly turns to ash. Dolls turns back to his human form and looks down at the pile, leaning on the leg that isn’t bleeding. “Nice shot.”

“Thanks. Like the joke? Bitch? ‘Cuz he’s a werewolf, and werewolves are dog-”

“Please don’t, Earp.”

Wynonna scoffs. “You’re no fun at all.” She looks up at the sky as the darkness clears and returns to the afternoon sun. “Oh, hey. Sweet.” Her eyes widen. “Jeremy.”

She and Dolls run over to Doc, who’s still applying pressure to the bite in Jeremy’s arm. “How are you doing, buddy?” Dolls asks, crouching down.

“Hurts.” Jeremy looks up at Dolls close to tears. “It’s a werewolf bite.”

Doc meets Dolls’s gaze. “I tried to tell him not to worry.”

“Of course not,” Dolls says softly. “We’ll get you home and get you stitched up, and everything will be just fine. Can you get him to the car, Doc? I want to take some pictures of this seal, and then we should get out of here.”

Doc nods. “Will do.”

Dolls takes out his phone and takes a few pictures as Wynonna stops next to him. “Full bite that broke the skin… Dolls…”

“I didn’t want to scare him until he needed to be scared,” Dolls murmurs. “Let’s get back into town and check him out before we worry, okay?”

“Okay. But I’m already worried.”

Dolls puts his phone away and sighs. “So am I.”

 

+++++

 

Wynonna walks up the front porch steps, limping slightly, and pauses when she sees Nicole sitting in one of the chairs, her knees pulled up to her chest.

“You okay?”

“I could ask you the same thing,” Nicole says softly. “You look like you’re hurt.”

“The boys and I had a bit of a run-in with a Revenant. Jeremy got hurt. Dolls and Doc are helping him now, but I wanted to come back here to get Waverly.” Wynonna leans against the railing in front of Nicole. “You look troubled.”

“A woman came here. She… knew me. Before.”

“Oh? Did she say anything interesting?”

Nicole gives a weak smile. “My last name _is_ pronounced ‘Hot’.”

Wynonna snorts. “Alright, smartass. I meant anything _important_.”

Nicole plays with the buttons of her waistcoat. “The Order apparently recruited me. To look for some mine or something. I was _working_ with those bastards, Wynonna.”

“It doesn’t change who and what you are now, though.”

“Doesn’t it? I don’t even know _what_ I am right now.”

“You are Nicole Haught, and you’re a black dog ghost.” Wynonna pats her on the shoulder. “You’re our friend. We’ll figure out what the Order was using you for.”

Nicole laughs softly. “You’re not going to kill me?”

Wynonna shrugs. “From the sounds of things, you already died. Seems like you learned your lesson when it comes to helping those assholes.”

“Thanks, Wynonna,” Nicole says with a roll of her eyes.

“No problem!” Wynonna says brightly.

“I should go. I promised Alice I would play _Sorry!_ with her.”

“Be careful. My kid’s ruthless at those things.”

“Consider me warned.” Nicole stands and heads for the door at the same moment that Waverly steps out onto the porch. They bump into each other and back up awkwardly, avoiding eye contact. “U-Uh… Sorry…”

“Y-Yeah,” Waverly stammers, rubbing the back of her neck. “Right. Uhm. I-I’m sorry.”

“I-I should…” Nicole stands there for a moment as if unsure what to do. “Yeah.” She steps around Waverly, careful not to touch her, and steps through the door.

Wynonna raises an eyebrow. “What the hell was that about?”

Waverly looks at her. “Huh?”

“You guys are suddenly acting like teenagers who got a little too tipsy on the punch at prom.”

“Wynonna, you don’t _know_ what happened at prom. You didn’t go.”

“Untrue. I went to yours. I hovered in the background and made sure Champ didn’t put his hands on you.”

Waverly rolls her eyes. “He was my _boyfriend_ , Wynonna.”

Wynonna shudders. “Never say that sentence in my presence again.” She throws her arm around Waverly’s shoulders, flinches as her side bumps up against her sister, and leads her off the porch. “Now, why don’t you fill me in on why you and Haughtstuff are acting like idiots while we head over to help the boys?”

Waverly groans. “Don’t call her that, Wynonna.”


	12. of marriage and fathers

Wynonna drives towards the police station, drumming her fingers on the steering wheel to fill the silence. “You wanna tell me what’s going on with you?”

“Hm?” Waverly blinks at her. “Nothing’s going on.”

“Sure. You always just brood out the window for no reason.”

Waverly bites her lip. “Nicole’s married.”

“To a dude?”

“What? No. The woman who came here. Nicole figured it out when she saw the ring on her finger, heard the way she was talking.” Waverly rubs the back of her neck. “It’s… I mean, that means she’ll probably leave, right? To be with her wife?”

Wynonna shrugs. “That’s up to her, but I do think she should at least stay until she understands more about what she is. If she can’t control it, she could end up hurting people she cares about. We don’t even know if she _can_ leave yet.” She glances at Waverly out of the corner of her eye. “But I get a sense that you aren’t really worried about Nicole leaving because of the _danger_.”

“I am,” Waverly says quickly. “And I would never get in the way of her being happy the way she is.” She shrugs. “I just… you know.” Her voice lowers. “Like her.”

“Figures. She’s your type. Moody and emotionally unavailable.”

Waverly punches Wynonna’s arm. “That’s not funny.”

“It’s a _little_ funny.” Wynonna winces and sets a hand on her side. “Bastard Revenant got me good.”

“You’re lucky you’re immune, or you’d be in trouble. You have to be more careful.”

“Yeah,” Wynonna mumbles. “ _I’m_ immune.”

“What does that mean?”

Wynonna’s expression darkens. “You’ll see.”

 

+++++

 

Nicole hurries to her feet as Gus walks in carrying bags. “You guys go shopping a lot, don’t you?” she jokes as she takes them from her and sets them on a nearby table.

“Those idiots use up a lot of ammunition.” Gus pokes Nicole in the collarbone. “And I have _another_ mouth to feed now.”

“Give me milk and Mini-Wheats and I’ll figure out how to survive.”

“I know.” Gus pats Nicole on the shoulder and starts unpacking. “You’re easier to handle than Alice.”

Nicole looks at Alice, sprinting around the living room in fox form. “Can’t imagine how.”

“Are you doing okay, kiddo?”

“I don’t know,” Nicole admits. She runs a hand through her hair and sighs. “Honestly, Gus, I don’t know. My head’s all scrambled. I really just don’t know what to do.”

“You seem to have a pretty good heart, Nic. Maybe you should just listen to it?”

Nicole laughs. “I’m not sure that will give me the most honorable answer.”

“Maybe not. Is it the one you want, though?”

“… It might be.”

“Then I think you _do_ know what to do.”

“Yeah,” Nicole sighs. “That’s what I was afraid of.”

 

+++++

 

“Hold him down,” Dolls orders as he pushes up the sleeve of Jeremy’s shirt.

“I don’t like needles,” Jeremy says, squirming. “Can’t we just skip this part?”

“No. Doc, hold him down.”

“What do you think I am doing?” Doc grumbles, pinning Jeremy down with both arms.

Dolls ignores him, sliding the needle into Jeremy’s bicep. “Relax, Jer. It’s alright. You’re okay. You’re going to be okay.”

Jeremy whimpers. “The more you say that, the less I believe it.”

“Think less, buddy.”

“Oh my god,” Waverly whispers as she follows Wynonna into the room.

“Waverly, can you… am I…” Jeremy’s voice drifts away and his eyes close.

“Knocked him out,” Dolls says. “We need time to dress this wound and properly examine it.”

Waverly takes Jeremy’s arm by the wrist and turns it to get a better look. “Oh, man. You don’t think…”

“It’s a bite. And it didn’t kill him.” Wynonna folds her arms across her chest. “You know what that means.”

Doc dips his finger in some of the blood around the bite and sniffs it. He flinches and recoils, wiping his hand on a towel. “Smells like the blood of a wolf to me.”

“Specify that you mean _werewolf_ when you make that face,” Wynonna says, lightly punching his shoulder.

“We can fix this, can’t we?” Waverly fetches their medical kit and brings it over to the table. “He doesn’t… He doesn’t _have_ to be a werewolf, does he?”

“I don’t think it works that way.” Dolls runs a hand over his face. “Okay. Okay. We can’t panic. We can’t scare him. We’ll figure this out. We figured out our own shit, right? We’re working with Nicole to resolve her… ghost dog spirit whatever, and we’ll work with Jeremy to resolve this.”

“We will not abandon him. Do not worry about that, Dolls.” Doc pats Jeremy’s shoulder.

“We have each other’s backs. No matter what.” Wynonna drums her fingers on Peacemaker’s handle. “That’s what makes us different from them. It’s what makes us different from the Earps that came before me. That’s not changing now.”

 

+++++

 

Nicole sits down across from Shae at a table in the bar. “Thank you. For meeting with me.”

“Of course. Do you know anything more about the Order?”

“No. I wanted to talk about…” Nicole rubs the back of her neck and lowers her voice. “Shae, I don’t know how to really ask this, but… Are we married?”

Shae’s eyes soften. “You figured it out?”

“You were talking about _our home_ and the ring and the Order coming to talk specifically to you…”

“I didn’t want to put any pressure on you. Especially since, like I said, you seem happy.”

“Neither that nor amnesia negates the promise I clearly made to you, Shae.”

“Nicole.” Shae reaches over and sets her hand on top of Nicole’s. “I care about you. And you’ve always cared about me. But I know that it wouldn’t be right for you to drop everything and come back to Colorado just because of a ring and a piece of paper.” She looks down, twisting the ring on her finger. “Truth be told, I’m not sure we were ever great at being married. We’re too different.”

Nicole gives a soft laugh and leans back in her chair. “Geez, I have a wife for three minutes and she’s divorcing me.”

“That’s not what I-” Shae pauses, looking startled, before laughing. “You definitely have a much more sarcastic sense of humor these days, Nic.”

Nicole flushes. “Is that bad?”

“No. Just different. _You’re_ different.”

Nicole watches a small wisp of shadow twist around her wrist before vanishing. “Oh, believe me, you have no idea.”

 

+++++

 

Gus leans out of the kitchen, looking out into the living room where Doc and Alice are playing with a GameCube. “We’re having meatloaf for dinner. Do y’all want pota-”

“No!” Alice yells. “Gross. Can we have rice and carrots?”

Gus puts her hands on her hips. “Can you ask politely?”

Alice has her Charizard roast her father’s Bulbasaur before turning to Gus. “Gramma, can we _please_ have rice ‘n carrots?”

Gus rolls her eyes. “I suppose so, since you asked so nicely.”

“Yay!”

“Alright, I have had quite enough of you this wretched machine beating me,” Doc says, tossing his controller outside. He picks Alice up and hoists her over his shoulder. “We are going outside and playing a game I can actually _win_.”

Alice giggles. “You can’t win _anythin’_ , Daddy.”

“I won your mama, did I not?”

“Don’t let Wynonna hear you say that,” Gus yells from the kitchen.

“I would not dare to dream of it, ma’am,” Doc replies before walking out of the house.

He sets Alice down in the grass and ruffles her hair. “What do you think? A race to the outer fence and back here to the porch? Whoever wins gets an extra slice of cake for dessert.”

“Yes!” Alice shifts into a fox and sprints off across the yard.

“That cheating little…” Doc shakes his head, smiling, before shifting into a dark-furred fox and racing after her.


	13. of bites and advice

Waverly spins back and forth in a half circle, sitting on a stool in the Black Badge office. She watches Jeremy as he sleeps, arm freshly bandaged.

When the cellphone on the table buzzes with jazz music, she winces and answers it. “Hey, Robin, it’s Waverly.”

There’s a long pause. _“Did I call the wrong phone?”_

“No, sorry, Jeremy’s just… super busy right now, so I picked up his phone.”

_“Oh. Okay! How are you?”_

“Fine. You know how it is. Always hectic in the life of an Earp.”

_“Yeah, I bet. Did Alice listen to that jazz CD yet? Jeremy wouldn’t say.”_

“Erm. I don’t… think so.”

She hears a sigh on the other end of the phone. _“Let me guess. She didn’t like it.”_

Waverly smirks. “I think she likes rock music, Robin. Sorry pal.”

_“Darn it. One day I’ll get that kid to like me.”_ There’s a pause and a quiet thud, as if Robin’s getting out of a car. _“Hey, can you check with Jeremy to make sure we’re still on for dinner tonight? That’s why I was calling.”_

Waverly glances at Jeremy, still passed out on a table. “I think he might need to reschedule. I can have him call you back when he gets a chance, though.”

_“That’d be great. Thanks, Waverly.”_

“No problem. See you.”

_“Bye.”_

Waverly sets the phone down and tenses when she hears a faint grumbling noise coming from Jeremy. She gets up and walks over to him.

“Jeremy? Are you okay?”

He yawns, and she catches a glimpse of sharp teeth that rapidly shift back to normal human shape before his mouth closes. He opens his eyes slowly and frowns. “Waverly? What’s going on?”

“The others had to get you bandaged up, and you were being difficult.”

“Mm.” Jeremy’s eyes flutter closed. “I was dreaming about Taylor Lautner.” His eyes snap back open and he sits up. _“Werewolves!”_ He starts to pull at the bandage, his hands shaking. _“Werewolves!”_

“Jeremy, stop! _Stop!_ ” Waverly grabs his hands and pull them away. “You need to let it heal, okay? You’re going to hurt yourself.”

He stares at her, catching his breath slowly. “I need you to tell me the truth. Please, Waverly. I know the others won’t. Am I a werewolf now?”

“We won’t know for sure until the next full moon,” Waverly murmurs. “But I think you are.”

“Oh, god.” Jeremy covers his face with his hands and lies back down. “Oh, god, what am I going to do?”

“It’ll be fine. I’m figuring out how to control my thing, Nicole’s trying to figure out how to control hers, you can just join in.”

Jeremy groans. “What, is Gus starting an obedience school?”

Waverly shrugs. “Probably.” She rubs his shoulder. “Seriously, Jeremy, we’ll help you through this. I promise.”

“You promise?”

“Yes.”

“… Alright. I guess we just wait then?”

“And keep an eye out for any symptoms until then.”

Jeremy stands carefully, unsteady on his feet. “Will do. But I really would like to go home and shower and change now.”

“Of course. Just make sure you keep that wound clean and bandaged, got it?”

“Got it.”

“Oh, and Robin called. He wants you to let him know if you’re still on for dinner tonight.”

Jeremy groans again, more loudly, and runs a hand over his face. “Robin. How am I supposed to go out tonight like this?”

Waverly rubs at her mouth to hide her smile. “You said you were going to at least shower, so…”

“I meant as a freaking _werewolf_.”

“Robin likes dogs.”

_“Waverly.”_

She hugs him suddenly, holding him close. “It’s going to be _fine_. Okay? Keep your phone with you. Call me the second anything happens that seems weird. Don’t stop living, Jeremy. Believe me when I say it doesn’t help.”

He hugs her back cautiously. “I’ll do that. But I may also go home and have a small panic attack.”

“Completely fair.”

 

+++++

 

Nicole sits down at the bar next to Nedley, a glass of whiskey in her hand. “Afternoon, Sheriff.”

“Nicole. How’s that memory doing?”

“Empty as ever. I’m enjoying making new ones, though.”

“Good.” Nedley crunches on a French fry. “That woman who came for you.”

“My wife?”

“Figured that out, then?”

“It wasn’t that hard. And I asked.”

Nedley snorts. “Smartass.”

“I’m enjoying it,” Nicole says proudly. “What about her?”

“Do you think she is who she says she is?”

“For as trustworthy as my opinion is, I do. I can’t say for sure what that entails, though. I’m not certain I was the best person in my past life, so if that’s the person Shae was married to? I can’t be positive that we can trust her.”

“I’ve lived in this town long enough to know when someone is being purposely vague, Haught. What’s bothering you?”

Nicole takes a sip of her whiskey. “Depends on what you know about the Order.”

“Probably more than you do, kid. They used to be our fire department.”

“Yeah, well, they also hired me to be a guide based on qualities such as ‘doesn’t ask questions’ and ‘is ruthless’.”

Nedley is quiet for a long moment, eating fries and sipping his coffee. “Hm.”

Nicole laughs. “That’s all I get?”

“Do you _want_ my take?”

She steals one of his fries. “Yes.”

“Suck it up.”

“Pardon?”

Nedley turns towards her. “Unless you walk out that door and magically get your memories back, you aren’t that person anymore. You’re _this_ person, the one standing right here in front of me right now. I understand being curious. But your responsibility isn’t to chase your ghosts, Nicole. It’s to figure out what you want to be in the present.”

Nicole finishes her drink and spins the glass absentmindedly on the bar. “What if my past could help people, though? If I could just remember something that could be of use…”

“I’ve known the Earps for a long time, too, Nicole,” he says, a thin smile on his face. “They can get their answers without you torturing yourself to get them. Helping matters, but so do you.”

“Are you sure about that?” Nicole mutters under her breath.

He finishes his coffee and pats her shoulder roughly. “Yeah. I am.”

 

+++++

 

Wynonna races across Purgatory Cemetery, her paws crunching in the dry, dead grass. She jumps off of a tombstone and tackles the Revenant she’s chasing from behind, turning back into a human form in the same fluid movement.

“Hey there, Malcolm. How’s it going?”

“Fuck you!”

“Not interested. Look, I’m not even here to fight. I just want to know what you morons know about the Order.”

Malcolm sneers up at her. “I know they’re going to kill you all.”

Wynonna rolls her eyes and takes out Peacemaker. “That’s not a good answer, Malcolm.”

“You’re such a stupid bitch,” he spits. “They’ll kill all of you, and then we’ll break our truce and kill all of them. And if you somehow survive the war with the Order, we’ll kill however many of you are left. You don’t stand a chance.”

“Huh. You call me stupid, and yet it really was that easy to make you talk.”

He stares up at her, confused. “What-”

“Bye bye, Malcolm.” She fires the gun, shooting him between the eyes, and he turns to ash mid-sentence.

Wynonna puts her gun back in its holster. “Truce,” she mumbles. “Bobo Fucking Del Ray, I presume.”

 

+++++

 

Waverly opens the storage room and pauses when she sees Nicole, the sleeves of her buttondown rolled up to her elbows, stacking boxes on the shelves. “Uhm. Sorry. I can come back.”

“Why?” Nicole asks, fixing a sleeve before lifting another box into place.

“I just sort of… things have felt a bit. Uncomfortable. Between us. So I’ll just. Wait.” She turns for the door, but Nicole’s voice stops her.

“I don’t mean for them to be.”

Waverly turns back to her and sees Nicole staring straight down at the floor, fists clenched and small wisps of smoke curling around her knuckles and wrists. “I know that. Neither do I. But I’m just a bit embarrassed by the whole situation, so I guess avoiding you is easier.” She points at the shadows. “That’s, uh, that’s new.”

Nicole’s gaze flickers briefly over to the wisps. “Yeah. It happened the other day, and I’ve been trying to test it out. Just a little. It seems to be at least mostly under control for now.”

“That’s great.” Waverly pushes a strand of hair behind her ear. “So anyway, I guess I’ll just-”

Nicole’s hands go slack, and the shadows disappear. She moves towards Waverly rapidly, cupping her face in her hands and kissing her.

Waverly’s words are cut off in a whimper, her hands curling around the back of Nicole’s shoulders to pull her in closer as the kiss deepens and they stumble against the door, slamming it shut. Nicole backs off quickly at the sound, her cheeks red.

“I, uh. I was just going to ask if you wanted to go out for dinner, but you wouldn’t really give me a chance, and I panicked. I-I’m sorry.”

“Don’t apologize,” Waverly whispers. “You, Nicole Haught, are a damn good kisser.”

She laughs nervously. “Guess I have to be able to do something right, huh?”

Waverly reaches up and rests her palm on Nicole’s cheek, brushing her thumb against Nicole’s skin. “Nicole, you’re married.”

“That’s another thing I wanted to tell you. I’m getting divorced.”

Waverly raises an eyebrow. “What?”

“Apparently our relationship was already falling apart pre-amnesia, and since it’s not like I can remember being in love with her, we mutually agreed that for our own health it would be best to end things.”

“Oh. Wow. I’m… sorry? Congratulations? I’m not sure what’s in order for that.”

“I’ll admit that it’s a little weird to be divorcing someone I don’t remember marrying, but from what Shae told me, we _did_ get married in Vegas, so I suppose in some way that’s normal.” Nicole gives Waverly a shy grin and toys with the sleeve of her shirt again. “So. Uhm. If that changes things, I don’t know, but… will you? Go to dinner with me?”

Waverly smiles and pushes up onto her toes to kiss Nicole on the cheek. “I would love to. Maybe we could even do dessert afterwards.”

Nicole blinks at her, and Waverly turns bright red.

“I mean _actual dessert the food item_.” She punches Nicole lightly in the shoulder. “Don’t be an ass.”

“Hey, it’s not _my_ fault that you went there.”

“Yes it is. When you kiss me like that, it definitely is.”

Nicole smirks and goes back to stacking boxes. “You give me a time you want to go and I promise that won’t be the last time it happens.”


End file.
